Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II is a role-playing game released for the PlayStation 2 on December 2, 2004 (US) and the Xbox on January 20, 2004 (US). It is the sequel to Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance and was developed by Black Isle Studios who took up the development of the second game from Snowblind Studios, and its gameplay is based on the 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons. Plot Setting While the original game focussed on many areas scattered throughout the Sword Coast and Western Heartlands, the second game is moreover based in the Sword Coast in the Baldur's Gate region. Many areas in the Baldur's Gate Region are explored, including Cloak Wood, Trollbark Forest, The Wood of Sharp Teeth and Wayfork Village. Unlike the previous game, many more areas of Baldur's Gate are accessible, the sewers also return as an explorable region. However, the player only goes through one level of the sewers. While the Elfsong Tavern can be seen, it is not accessible, instead the player is able to go to the Purple Wyrm Tavern and Inn instead. The Old Warehouse, the Firewind Manor, Omduil's Manor, the Church of Helm and Bloodmire Manor are other explorable areas within Baldur's Gate. The High Moor, Skull Gorge and the Battle of Bones are also accessible areas in the game. The Keep of Pale Knight is ventured through near the Battle of Bones. The Elemental Planes are also areas that are accessible, in the Elemental Plane of Shadow the players fight Mordoc SeLanmere. The Sunset Mountains and the Marsh of Chelimber, the two other areas of the first game, are only mentioned and not actually seen. Story The story of Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II begins where it left off from the first game. Vahn, Kromlech, & Adrianna come out of the Shadow Gate only to be surrounded by Nightwalkers and Nightshades. Leading these creatures is a Vampire lord name Mordoc SeLanmere. He tells the three heroes that he and his allies will begin rebuilding the Onyx Tower. He tells his creatures to capture them. Now the adventure starts with five new adventurers seeking fame and fortune. They head down the Trade Way heading South to Baldur's Gate. They save a caravan leader named Randalla, and a caravan guard named Kiera (from the first game). During the first act, the adventurers stop a plot to capture and enslave people through the Red Fangs. The adventurers also discover grisly murders being performed by a Lady Bloodmire. The five adventurers soon meet Jherek (a Harper), by way of Randalla. He ask the five adventurers to join the Harpers. Jherek tells them he wants to restore the Onyx Tower to seal it or destroy it and to do so they must activate the Elemental Foundations of Air, Earth, Fire, and Water not knowing it will appear in the Material Plane. After they activate the Elemental Foundations, Kharne (never died to the hands of the three heroes. Former leader of the thieves' guild and Zhenteriam associate.) shows up. He says he lost the Onyx Tower and so has the Harpers. He also tells them that Mordoc Selanmere has control of the tower. They travel to the Keep of Pale Knight. Both Kharne and Jherek stay and fight off the monsters while the five heroes rescue Vahn, Kromlech, and Adrianna (Dubbed the Heroes of Baldur's Gate), who aid them in the fight against Mordoc. They meet Mordoc and with one inch of life he flees to the Onyx Tower. He moves the Onyx Tower to Baldur's Gate. As the five heroes go to Baldur's Gate, with the Heroes of Baldur's Gate. There they encounter many undead and a changed Randalla. After defeating her, they enter the tower they kill Xanhast and enter the Shadow Gate behind him. The Heroes appear in the Plane of Shadow where they defeat Mordoc and the Onyx Heart. They save Baldur's Gate once again. In the final cut scene it appears to be a priest talking to a Pharaoh God. Like in the previous installment this too ends in a cliffhanger. Sequel Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance III was canceled when publisher Interplay was forced to shut down operations in June 2004, to the disappointment of fans of the series, especially after the teaser trailer at the end of Dark Alliance II. It has been said that the Champions of Norrath series is a "continuation" of the series by virtue of the fact that it uses an identical game engine; however, as the Dark Alliance franchise uses the D & D universe and CoN uses the Everquest universe, this has been disputed. In 2007, Interplay raised additional revenue by selling the IP for Fallout to Bethesda Softworks for $5.75 million, though they retained a license to create and develop a "Fallout" MMORPG.[1] On April 8, 2008, Interplay declared their two-pronged MMORPG-and-Sequels strategy, which included pursuing funding for the Fallout MMOG. An online petition has beens started for people to have Atari pair up with Interplay and release a third game, www.petitionhosting.com/petitions/bgda123 while the current goal of the petition is 60 000 if the signatures go above that amount they will head for 100 000.